1. Field
The inventive concept relates to a burn-in test performed on a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly, to a semiconductor memory device and a method of performing a burn-in test on the semiconductor memory device, such as a resistive memory, by adjusting operating conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor memory device, which is a device for storing information, may be classified into a volatile memory device and a nonvolatile memory device. Examples of the nonvolatile memory device include a phase-change random access memory (PRAM) using a phase-change material, a resistive random access memory (RRAM) using a variable resistance material such as a transition complex metal oxide, a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) using a ferromagnetic material, and a ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM) using a ferroelectric capacitor. In the field of memory devices, various researches have been conducted to improve performance, for example, an integration degree, an operating speed, and data reliability.
However, performance may be degraded due to various factors such as a variation in a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device or a variation in signals applied to various circuits for operating the semiconductor memory device. Accordingly, a burn-in test is performed on the semiconductor memory device to detect defects during manufacture and mismatch between design and reality. Once a failure is detected by the burn-in test, failure analysis is performed in order to determine the cause of the failure. By using the burn-in test and the failure analysis, the throughput of the semiconductor memory device may be improved.
The burn-in test is performed by operating the semiconductor memory device at a higher temperature and a higher voltage than those during normal operation. As the semiconductor memory device is more stressed for a short time than during a normal operation, an early detection of a memory cell with a risk of malfunction may be possible before the semiconductor memory device is placed in service.